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In Syracuse’s win over Missouri, all three of its starting guards — Olivia Schmitt, Georgia Woolley and Sophie Burrows — had seven assists. It was the first time SU had multiple players with seven assists since 2016.

Schmitt made her first career start and ignited the Orange early with her passes. Woolley notched a season-high seven assists to go along with 17 points and six rebounds. Meanwhile, Burrows paced the Orange with three 3-pointers.

Against Creighton, SU’s guards couldn’t dominate the way they did against Missouri. Instead, it was the Bluejays’ backcourt that went on a tear. Guards Morgan Maly and Lauren Jensen combined for 59 points and 11 3-pointers. Their strong start gave the Bluejays a 34-point lead at halftime and the Orange didn’t crawl back.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (3-4, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 86–59 loss to Creighton (4-2, 0-0 Big East):

Bluejays’ 3-point barrage

In the game’s first four minutes, Creighton netted five 3-pointers. The Bluejays opened the game by finding Jensen on the left side, and the Orange were late to close out as Jensen nailed the shot.

The first Bluejays’ triple created a domino effect as they combined for seven triples in the first quarter. Maly and Molly Mogensen were next to nail 3-pointers, capitalizing on SU’s late defensive rotation.

By the 6:10 mark of the first quarter, Jensen netted two more triples, propelling Creighton to a 17-7 lead. The Bluejays tacked on five more 3s in the second quarter for a total of 12 at halftime. Jensen and Maly shot a combined 9-for-9 from deep in the first half.

Orange’s offensive miscues

To start the game, offensive fouls afflicted Syracuse. Woolley drove inside around the two-minute mark of the first quarter and was whistled for running over a defender. Combined with three first-quarter turnovers, the Orange couldn’t find a rhythm. They shot 4-of-16 from the field in the first quarter to trail 29-9.

Early in the second quarter, SU couldn’t find many solutions to Crieghton’s 3-point attack. The Orange were called for a shot clock violation at the 7:39 mark. About a minute later, Saniaa Wilson committed an offensive foul that killed another SU possession.

With under four minutes left in the frame, Journey Thompson worked her way into the paint for an open jumper, but she missed the shot off the rim. With 2:44 left in the second quarter, Izabel Varejão picked up Syracuse’s third offensive foul of the first half.

Just 39 seconds before halftime, Burrows threw the ball out of bounds. It marked SU’s ninth turnover of the first half as the offense sputtered, leading SU to trail 55-21 at the break.

Maly’s dominance

Maly was a handful for the Orange all night. The senior tallied 20 points in the first half and knocked down four early triples. Maly’s success paired with Jensen, who finished with 21 points.

After leading Creighton to a 34-point halftime advantage, Maly continued to dominate. Just 31 seconds in the third quarter, Jensen found Maly for her fifth 3-pointer. About a minute later, Maly nailed another triple, bringing her tally to 26 points while shooting 6-for-6 from deep.

Then, at the 5:47 mark of the third quarter, Maly made her mark defensively, blocking a shot by Kyra Wood. A minute later, she found Jensen from behind the arc to give Creighton a 66-29 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Maly continued to cause problems for SU, getting into the paint for an easy pull-up jumper. She finished with 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting.

SU’s 3-point struggles

With Creighton building a 34-point lead at halftime, SU was forced to shoot its way back into the game. But, it lacked 3-point shooters to match the Bluejays’ potent attack.

After shooting 3-for-8 from deep in the first half, the Orange attempted just one three in the third quarter. Dominique Camp made a triple with 1:31 in the frame. Besides her 3-pointer, SU looked to make a comeback with paint scoring, but it didn’t help it cut into Creighton’s lead.

Syracuse matched Creighton with 19 points in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Orange were quiet from behind the arc again. Woolley missed a 3 at the 8:33 mark of the fourth and didn’t shoot another deep shot the rest of the quarter. Meanwhile, SU made just one more three on a triple by Schmitt.

Creighton had 15 triples while Syracuse recorded just four 3s in the contest, leading to its biggest loss of the season.

Published on November 26, 2024 at 10:47 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32